India, grouped in Pool A alongside Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong China, and Singapore, will kick off their Asian Games journey with a match against Singapore on September 27th.
The Indian women’s hockey team left for Hangzhou for the upcoming 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. They boarded a late-night flight on Tuesday from the Bengaluru airport. India is placed in Pool A along with Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong China and Singapore and will open their campaign at the prestigious event against Singapore on September 27. Meanwhile, Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia are placed in Pool B. The top two teams from each Pool will qualify for the Semi-Finals.
Indian Women’s Hockey Team led by Captain Savita
The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will once again be led by captain Savita, with Deep Grace Ekka as her deputy. Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, captain Savita opened up on the team’s expectations from the tournament. “We have had a long and strenuous National Camp where we worked on all the areas where we need to improve. We have formulated our strategies as per our strengths and we have studied our opponents as well, thoroughly to understand their styles of play. We hope to have a good tournament and get positive results. Our target is to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and so we are aware of the importance of the tournament and what we need to do to achieve our goals.”
The women’s team includes goalkeepers Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam. Ekka, Ishika Chaudhary, Nikki Pradhan, and Udita form the defence line, while Sushila Chanu, Monika, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Nisha, Salima Tete, Sonika, and Vaishnavi Vittal Phalke constitute India’s midfield. Deepika, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, and Vandana Katariya have been included in the team as forwards.
Vice-Captain Ekka opened up about the team’s composition
Vice-captain Ekka also spoke on the team’s composition and mood in the camp ahead of the departure. “The good thing for us is that we have a blend of experience and youth among our ranks. All the players are eager to display their best, and are in their best frame of mind to showcase their talents on the field,” she said.
“We know we have some strong teams in our pool, but all of us see this as an opportunity to showcase how much we have grown as a team and individuals over the past year. We know we would have to adjust to the surroundings quickly, and we are prepared to do that to ensure we can completely focus on our game,” she added.
After starting their campaign against Singapore, India will take on Malaysia on September 29, Korea on October 1 and Hong Kong China on October 3.
Schedule of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team:
September 27: India vs Singapore at 10:15 AM IST
September 29: India vs Malaysia at 4 PM IST
October 1: India vs Korea at 1:30 PM IST
October 3: India vs Hong Kong China at 7:45 AM IST
The matches will be aired live on Sony Sports Network.
Disclaimer: Except for the headline and synopsis, this story has been taken from the HT News Service